It was more than six decades late, and a year after his death, but World War II veteran Herbert Frankel's Bronze Star was finally delivered yesterday.

"I'm proud of him. I'm happy," his daughter, Nadine Thompson, a West Brighton resident, said as she held the medal yesterday. "It makes me feel good."

Frankel was awarded the honor for his service in World War II, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and at Normandy. But due to bureaucratic red tape, he never physically received the medal.

And he never complained.

"My dad was a very humble guy, and I think he would never pursue to get it himself," Mrs. Thompson said.

But she began pursuing it after her father's death last February, when her mother, Miriam Frankel, mentioned the missing medal for the first time. Mrs. Thompson e-mailed Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) and asked for his help in tracking it down.

"To be able to get the Bronze Star that he earned so valiantly presented to his daughter is a very special honor for me today," Grimm, a U.S. Marine veteran of the Persian Gulf War, said.

Before awarding the medal, Grimm called Frankel a "true American hero.'

"When I first looked at the records and saw the word Normandy, the first thing that came to mind was hero," Grimm said.

Frankel was born in Poland but came to the United States as a young boy. He grew up in Brooklyn, and later raised his family on Staten Island. He met Miriam when they were just 16, and married her when he returned from the war.

Mrs. Thompson said she will give the Bronze Star to her mother, who now lives in Florida.

"It's been a year since dad died, but he'll be proud of it," Mrs. Thompson said.

Grimm also presented the family with a U.S. flag flown over the capital on the anniversary of Frankel's death, Feb. 14.

Tracking down the award -- even more than 60 years late -- shows veterans are never forgotten, Grimm said.

"Today is also about teaching our youth, our children, our grandchildren about the history of this country, and the fragility of this great country," Grimm said. "Our liberty and our freedoms are God-given, but they are protected by men like this who earn these awards in combat."

Also at the ceremony were some of Frankel's fellow Jewish veterans, Post 80 Jewish War Veterans commander Charles Greinsky and senior vice commander Martin Satloff.

"I'm always proud to see a veteran recognized, even 60 years later," Greinsky said. "Mr. Frankel is the definition of the word hero, and the word hero is thrown around too often inappropriately today."

Grimm said many veterans aren't even notified which medals or ribbons they have earned in combat, and plenty never receive them. Because so many, like Frankel, are humble and don't discuss their accomplishments, it's important for their representatives to seek them out.

"As a combat veteran, this is a very auspicious occasion," Grimm said. "Any opportunity for me to honor a fellow veteran is a beautiful thing."

After Mrs. Thompson reached out to Grimm's office, they sought out his discharge records. Then they got in touch with Veteran's Affairs to corroborate that Frankel had been given the honor, Grimm said. From there, the effort to track down the honor took off, Grimm said, resulting in Frankel's family finally receiving the medal given for bravery, acts of merit and meritorious service to Frankel's family.

"It's not easy to get a Bronze Star," Grimm said. "A lot of sacrifice, a lot of courage, a lot of valor went into this medal."